Selective Masochism
by RandomJaz
Summary: Ash's sexuality proves to be a reality too hard to swallow as he struggles to be something he is not. Once accepting where his heart really lies he sets out to liberate himself and set things right. Ashx Misty AshxGary.
1. Chapter 1

I could hear her heartbeat, loud and hurried, as she bounced in my lap with the side of my face pressed to her chest. Clinging to me desperately Misty had her fingers curled in my hair with a vice grip as if stopping my motions will kill her. Her pleasured gasps and moans filled the air around us but my eyes are fixed on the wall, unwilling to see her. Her pores were seeping pheromones as she reacted to my body, but I couldn't smell them. All I could smell was her sweat.

"Ash...A-Ah..."

Holding on with white knuckled grip I guided Misty's movements and pushed back against her grinding pelvis hoping she finished soon. Willing myself to stay erect I clenched my teeth in determination, thrusting up in to her with enough force to toss her off me if my fingers weren't bruising her hips. Naturally my genitals reacted to her silky insides but my mind just rejected her body completely. Gary's face flashed through my mind so impulsively and it really becomes all the more clear to me that I'm in the wrong bed barking up the wrong tree.

If her eyes were open she'd see my face contorted in distress but as far as she knew I was absolutely enjoying myself how she was...because she'd been given absolutely no reason to think otherwise. The guilt I carried for that was more nauseating than it was painful, I felt like scum.

Misty didn't know where I went when she wasn't around, nor did she know I ran to him. I ran to him with such desperation. Like I couldn't imagine the world around him, I was whole heartily attached to Gary. I just wasn't ready to accept that. He knew about Misty and it shamed me deeply. I wanted him so badly...but I was with a woman trying to prove to myself I could be something I'll never be.

My pelvis muscles ached furiously, and for a second I thought I was going to lose it. But, her walls clamped down on me and fluttered soothingly, pulling my release from me. It was powerful, but the orgasm felt empty and lackluster, my afterglow quickly fermenting to nausea. Unable to bring myself to stay beneath her any longer I tossed her to lay on the mattress. Get her off my body as quickly as I could.

I sat up catching my breath, globs of saliva filling my mouth as my stomach threatened to churn. A cold chill wracked my body in warning and all I can do was hold my breath to will it away but the sweat leaking from my face forewarned the inevitable.

"Hn..."

"Ash...whats wrong?"

Trying my best to fight, I tensed and took breathes almost robotically. Of course robots can't breathe so that did not get me far. Her presence was too potent and it was if she'd poisoned me. The smell of her sweat could not compare to the smell of her arousal or sex, her sensual musk hitting my nostrils like putrid odor, and my stomach could handle no more. I'd had enough. Hand clamped over my mouth I bolted to the bathroom and expelled her from my body. The reality of it could no longer be denied. I couldn't do this, not anymore. Her natural perfumes were revolting, shooing me away like vermin.

"Ash! Are you alright?"

Her worried voice carried through to door as I vomited in to the porcelain and all I could do to hold up the rude by its crumbling ends was mumble that " I'm okay", assuring her dinner just sat with me wrong. With eyes shut and chest heaving I could see her face in my mind, and she's so beautiful. But, to my misfortune, she's just not for me. And she never would be.

Toothbrush viciously scraping my teeth, I refused to look at my own reflection as I brushed. I could taste the bile lingering at the back of my throat but it was nothing. The real problem was that her smell is stuck to me, threatening to trigger my gag reflex all over again.

The water in the shower did little to soothe me as I rubbed layer upon layer of soap in to my skin. Hands shaking furiously, I washed the remnants of her off of me before dressing to go home with promises of nursing my stomachache. Her lips grazed my cheek soothingly at the door before she reluctantly accepted I was leaving, but the touch set my skin crawling and I left quickly while doing my best to ignore the dejected expression upon her face.

Riding my bike home I embraced the night air hitting me and blowing through my clothes. The cool breeze wafted by me, carrying leaves with it and sweet smells of Autumn. Like the world outside Misty's apartment was a world I hadn't seen in ages, suddenly I could breathe with such relief. Fully, I could breathe again and my heart, body and soul rejoiced.

In my newfound relief his face came to mind... and I smiled despite myself. My stomach flutters, but pleasurably this time. But just as quickly as it had happened, the butterfree in my stomach abruptly stop fluttering and drown miserably. The reality was longer deniable, I couldn't run from it anymore. I was gay.

There was no changing it.

My bike rushed down a steep hill and the adrenaline empowered me, stirring up feelings of freedom as my racing thoughts locked on to Gary's face. For a brief moment, I envisioned what it'd be like to leave behind the lie I lived with Misty...for that brief moment I felt relieved. Racing through the night and to my apartment I allowed myself to dream. Then once I was there it's all clear to me. I was sure of it, I was going to make things right. For Misty, for Gary and for myself. Who deserved it the most was still a mystery to me. I'd done wrong to us all.

The relief I felt from my outdoor epiphany quickly dwindled once I had made it to the door of my studio apartment. My home wasn't anything special, just a simple studio apartment where I ran to when I couldn't face Misty or Gary. The small living space was far more depressing than I had ever realized. Walking in I glumly set my bike to lean against a wall and placed my sneakers next to it. My phone buzzed in my pocket so I checked it, not surprised to see Gary's name on my screen.

 **Hey**

 **How'd your special night go?**

 **What do you think?**

 **...Sorry. Just asking.**

 **You okay?**

 **I'll live.**

 **What happened?**

Reflecting back on my horrible post copulation reaction, I cringed and found myself unable to respond to his question. Sliding my phone back in my pocket I sighed and looked down at the floor aggravated. As happy as I was to be away from Misty and come to terms with what was really going on, I couldn't help shake the anxiety I felt once actually realizing that it was time to fix the mess I was wrapped up in. It became way too real that I actually had to do something. It was easier to accept while I was outside and feeling liberated as I hurried away from her house. Realizing the truth about who I am of course was a huge development...but where did that leave Misty? Where would it take her?

The poor girl.

It was obvious she liked me growing up but it hadn't been so obvious to me that females didn't interest me the way they supposedly should have. When Misty initiated a relationship a year back, I had gone with it. Even after pubescent years of questioning myself, I simply jumped in to it because it was "right". She's had no reason to suspect something was wrong...but, that may have changed after my little scene in her bedroom.

After months of her hinting that she was interested in sex, there came a point that I couldn't pretend to miss her advances. She insisted we have sex for our one-year anniversary. Instead of doing the right thing and coming clean, I went along with it. So, of course, it ended horribly. Grabbing my head in frustration I stood there, no longer feeling any positivity about coming to terms with my sexuality. I had slept with Misty, led her along for a year, and now I had to end it...plus, tell Gary what had taken place.

Gary had been around shortly before my relationship with the water trainer had started. He had no problem openly admitting to being gay and it had never been a problem with me, I just didn't know how to cope with my own sexuality. I had always assumed I was straight and couldn't give up on the hope that one day it would click and I'd wake up liking women. Few times I had brought up concern over my uncertainty, and Gary listened with open ears but never pressed me to "pick a team" or persuade me towards either one.

After growing out of out of the childish competitive phase of our youth, we became friends quite easily, hanging out in Pallet after my journey to be the greatest Pokémon master was placed on the back burner. We became so close that we trusted each other with spare keys. I decided to pause my journey and so did Gary, but he on the other hand took his experience and used it towards becoming a professor like his grandfather. I was proud of him, and also jealous. He had his life together. He knew who he was from day one.

Although he had built a history of treating me poorly during childhood, his infamous snarky attitude had calmed down significantly over the years. That familiar attitude of his only surfacing when he was upset or annoyed. Only certain things really set it off, that I had learned late.

I had never noticed his special fondness of me until it was painfully obvious. He found out Misty and I were a new item and avoided me for a week. He later explained it away as a busy schedule but the excuse never quite sat right with me. It had been clear he was displeased, constantly frowning and turning sour whenever Misty called or dropped by. Gary had a bad habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve when something really bothered him.

He always calmed down and apologized for his behavior after going back to his normal more tame self, but the incidents always left me feeling kind of hurt that he had been so quick to turn on me and not offer an explanation as to why. Being the oblivious dumb ass I'm notoriously known for being, one day I had confronted him about it, completely unaware that he was so passive aggressive because of his actual feelings.

xxxxx

"Hey what's your problem anyway? You okay, man?"

Gary shrugged in response, casting an annoyed glance at me. I had just hung up the phone after answering Misty's call. We'd been hanging out at the Oak residence, namely his home.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why would you even ask me that?"

The brunette retorted stiffly, scowling as he turned to look at me with piercing green eyes. They were slightly narrowed with gaze disproving and bitter, like he had casted his eyes upon something he just barely tolerate in silence. In response, I scratched his neck nervously . Stomach knotted, looked away slightly, afraid of offending Gary. The older brunette sat in an office chair by his computer desk, facing me from where I sat on his bed.

"Well, you're kind of acting pissy...you've been doing that a lot lately-"

"Whatever." Gary deadpanned, swiveling his chair back to face his laptop.

At that, I blanched. A few blinks and I struggled to process what was bothering. So, I thought back on the last thing I'd done before his personality had shifted so abruptly.

"Look, if you're upset because I pick up when Misty calls, I'm sorry..." I began apologizing, assuming Gary was upset because Misty's calls interrupted their guy time. "I didn't realize you cared so much, really."

Gary's shoulders tensed slightly and he almost immediately became defensive. Continuing his aggressive typing he kept his back to me.

"I don't care what you do with her, she's your _girlfriend_." the brunette forced the word through his teeth almost venomously. " Why would I care?"

"Dude, seriously. What's up? You're really starting to worry me."

Gary made no move to turn around or even acknowledge that I had spoken. I tried getting his attention, but Gary carried on as I wasn't there. This time around, I couldn't repress the hurt feelings that began to eat away at me. It grew in to something bigger than I was prepped for.

Already stressed out over the confusion of my sexuality floating around my frazzled head constantly, and feeling particularly sensitive, Gary had just pressed the wrong button and hurt my already very vulnerable feelings. Eyes watering, I forced himself to get up and leave. I began to walk past Gary but the older abruptly ceased his typing and held his arm out to block my way. He was completely unaware that I was moments away from tears.

"I think it's best I leave now." I mumbled, straining my voice not to reveal any indication that Gary's actions had upset me so harshly. "Excuse me..."

Gary's arm stayed where it was and he looked up at me to apologize. He then found himself extremely caught off guard as I stood above him with a glum expression and puddled brown eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry-" Gary began, but I didn't want to hear it.

I couldn't handle it. I was going to break.

"I'm just gonna go now."

Before I could make my exit Gary caught my arm in his hand to stop me from leaving. The sudden movement set off a startle response in me. It resulted in my walls falling faster than I could process. I gasped from the initial jump response and promptly choked up, repressed stress surfacing instantly. Gary flew out of his chair in concern and tried to apologize again, but I just insisted helplessly that I should go.

"Gary, just let me go!"

The older teen refused to let me go.

I began crying from both embarrassment and frustration. Suddenly, there were hands on my wet cheeks. I was forced to look up at Gary who stood in front of me, his eyes inspecting me. I could immediately clearly see the remorse on Gary's face for acting so rudely, even through the tears.

I expected Gary to apologize, which he did. What I hadn't expected was Gary to pulled me in to a kiss. His lips had felt wonderful... relief upon contact. Gary's mouth felt soft, nice...and right. Unlike Misty's, his lips felt right when they touched mine.

The shock of it all made my crying intensify, but I held on to the man kissing me as if I'd never been shown any affection my entire life. The guilt of what I'd done began setting in afterwards, but for a moment the world around me stopped. It had been so peaceful. That day had set everything in motion.

I wasn't sure at that point in time if it was worth it.

xxxxxx

 _I was such an idiot._

I could only bring myself to leave my thoughts when a gentle little hand patted my shin curiously. Looking down I was faced with Pikachu who blinked up at me worriedly.

"Pika pi?" he questioned, whining softly.

"I'm fine Pikachu. Are you hungry? " I asked him. "Want some food?"

He nodded and I fetched a can of Pokémon food, filling a plate with it and setting it on the kitchen counter. Pikachu ate the food, filling his cheeks cutely as he chewed. Watching him eat, I leaned against the counter smiled briefly as I patted his head. A sad expression must have come across my face because suddenly he looked at me curiously.

He tilted his head, one ear twitching. I encouraged him to finish his food and he did exactly that. But still, my beloved Pokémon insisted on figuring out what was wrong with me. I wasn't right, Pikachu could sense me breaking loose at the seams.

My phone buzzed again and I knew it was Gary but I ignored it.

When Pikachu finished eating I left his dirty dish the counter and plopped myself on my bed. Laying there with him on my chest, stroking his fur absentmindedly, I found myself beginning to feel that familiar turmoil bubbling in my stomach. Pikachu's furry hand tapped my chin but I continued patting him comfortingly until he drifted off, myself following soon after from my growing fatigue. Exhausted mentally and physically from the events of the day, I fell in to a restless sleep, only to be woken up by the soft sound of key's jingling as my front door was unlocked.

xxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

Pikachu had sat up in alarm as keys jingled at the front door to the apartment. Tapping my chin urgently, he whined to warn me of potential danger. But, to his confusion, I brushed his head reassuringly with my knuckles and coaxed him to lie back down. The intruder was actually an unannounced visitor. Being keys were used it could only be one person entering. Since I already knew who it was I simply remained still while Pikachu resituated himself back on my chest drowsily.

"It's alright."

The door to my apartment opened, the light from the hallway spilling in momentarily and breaching the black that engulfed my home. It clicked shut and relocked, returning my mediocre living space back to gloomy darkness. I could hear his boots as he walked over to me, the rubbery soles making muted thumps across the dull floor of my apartment. He stopped by my bedside and removed his boots quietly, placing his keys and belongings on the nightstand before silently settling down next to me on my bed.

Reaching a hand out gently, he grazed his fingers along Pikachu's back, scratching his fur kindly as the electric mouse laid on me. Pikachu recognized the familiar touch and gave a soft 'chu' as he began massaging the patch between his ears. His hand then moved to rest on my hip, his arm slung across my waist leisurely. Pikachu curled in to himself to accommodate for the limited space then dozed off.

"Hey, Ashy boy."

The greeting was whispered softly, no condescending tone accompanying the old first, I couldn't force my mouth to articulate any sound. Pushing myself to speak, however, I greeted him back.

"...Hey Gary." I whispered back, all too aware of how tired my voice sounded. "What are you doing here?"

Gary's breath ghosted over my neck as he spoke, the warm sensation lightly moist and far more comforting than I expected. I felt his fingers tracing my hip lightly and found myself having to will away the intrusive suggestive thoughts drifting through my mind. Silence filled the air around us and I breathed in through my nose heavily, my stomach dropping with anxiety. Gary must have sensed my distress because he pulled me in closer to him.

"I was worried when you stopped texting back." he informed me sincerely. "I take it tonight didn't go well?"

Choosing not to answer, I stayed silent. Gary pressed the issue lightly, his words sounding concerned and carefully selected. He'd had a lot to think about that day too, apparantly.

" I think it's time we really talk about this, Ash. For the sake of everyone involved."

The words set off a sense of dread inside me and all I could do not to have a panic attack was breath in deeply and force the breaths out with practiced pace. Misty popped in to my head and rattled my nerves immensely. Thinking about Misty completely defeated the purpose of trying to self soothe. What was I supposed to do? My imagination got the better of me and I panicked.

It was time to fix this mess but I felt trapped. How would I even break it to her? Misty's heartbroken face passed through my mind quickly followed by her enraged facial expressions. I'd messed up so much... so so much.

The dread in my stomach finally boiled over and set off a chain reaction in my body. It spread through me like rancid muck until I couldn't take it anymore. The horrid feeling seeped through the nooks and crannies of my pores like vaporous poison and took over. Freaking out over something that wasn't even taking place upset me further, making me feel weak and dramatic like some child. Tears leaked from my eyes and soon I found myself choking on my own words.

"What am I going to do?" I asked Gary, suddenly. "This has gone too far. Way too far."

Gary kissed my shoulder briefly before resting the side of his face on it and exhaling calmly.

"What exactly are you referring to? "

"I'm gay, Gary." I whimpered softly, the words sounding almost foreign to my own ears. "...I'm gay."

"There's nothing wrong with that, I know you know that." he assured me " What's really wrong?"

Deciding it was best to just tell him about the events with Misty, I came clean. Not much else was left to do. I couldn't hide it. If I tried it'd eat me alive. It had already begun.

"I slept with Misty."

The mere words tasted vile on my tongue.

"It was terrible. I threw up and ran out of there like I was raped...I brought it upon myself. I thought I wanted it. I didn't want it, Gary. How was she supposed to know that? I feel so...so...I feel so disgusting."

"Oh, Ash." Gary drawled, squeezing my side. "My poor Ash. "

I could practically see his green eyes in my mind. Disappointed and pittitying. Wanting nothing more than to purge the clutter of my conscience, I willed myself to continue. Figuring it was now or never, I shared the buzzing thoughts that had consumed me all night.

"I've spent years pretending to not see the signs, Gary. I should've just been honest with myself from the start... I tried so hard to be something I'm not. I dragged her in to this. I dragged you in to this-"

Gary shushed me gently, using the hand he had been laying on to play with my ebony locks of hair. He twirled wispy strands of it between his fingers and tried to calm my oncoming breakdown. His body radiated warmth and all I wanted was to melt in to him and never leave his proximity. He knew I had reached my limit, he knew me better than anyone.

"Neither of you deserve this. I'm so selfish! I've led Misty on for the past year now and let you get wrapped up in it. I knew deep down I wasn't straight but I tried anyways. She's going to be so mad."

The words spilled from my mouth guilty and I cringed at my own stupidity.

" I feel like a complete jackass. You must think I'm such an idiot. "

Holding back the sobs threatening to erupt from the base of my throat, I braced myself for Gary's agreeing words. But, to my utter surprise, he simply shushed me again and kissed the hollow of my temple lovingly. Rocking me slowly as to not wake the sleeping pokemon, he tried to keep my creeping breaking point at bay.

"I knew this is how it'd happen." He murmured finally, admitting something I'd never suspected "... and it's alright. You had to find out for yourself. There's nothing wrong with that. You deserve the closure. I'm not upset about it either, I promise. "

Relief washed over me from his reassuring words, his affectionate promise to me resonated deep inside my heart. Grateful beyond expression, I blinked away tears vainly and relished the weight which lifted from my shoulders. The seemingly endless, scorching anguish that had burned through a year of my life was finally being snuffed out. My chest shuddered as hiccups bubbled beneath my ribs and pressed painfully along my diaphragm, my soft sobs emerging and cutting through the still air around us.

"...chu?"

Pikachu roused from his sleep once more as he felt my chest shaking beneath him. He lifted his face to try and peer at me in the dark. Alert, he sat up. Pressing his hand to the swells of my cheekbones, he patted the wetness he felt trickling beneath his fuzzy palms before trying to comfort me.

"Pikaaa?" he cooed quietly, confused and groggy from being woken up. "Pi?"

Gary moved to a sitting position wordlessly and picked Pikachu up despite the Pokémon's sad noises. Getting up from the bed, he tucked a pillow under his arm carried the disgruntled Pokémon to the narrow hallway of the apartment, away from my bed where I struggled to control my melodramatic self. Setting the pillow down he placed Pikachu on top of it and told him to go back to sleep, that I would be fine and hadn't meant to wake him.

Careful not to trip on anything as he navigated back to me, Gary took his shirt off and dropped it on the ground before leaning over me and massaging my chest briefly with a comforting hand. He urged me to sit up. When I obeyed he made quick work of my shirt and tossed it aside before insisting I remove my jeans. Too tired to resist, I sniffled and allowed him to pull the restrictive denim off of me where they soon joined my discarded shirt.

"Give me a sec... stay there."

His clothes rustled faintly as he undressed himself and soon he was returned to my side, pulling the sheets over us as he nestled himself in to me with only our underwear to separate our bodies. Lying there pressed against him should have been enough to calm me down, but unfortunately for both of us, it didn't. Being that his warm skin engulfed me cozily and he had his chin burrowed in to the crook of my neck, I felt as if the nagging impulse I felt to cry was incredibly unnecessary. Of course, my haywire emotions won the battle with my free will and I crumbled to a crying mess once more. It never seemed to end.

"Shh, no need for that. I've got you" Gary consoled me, tapping his fingertips along the raised surface of my ribcage. "Everything's going to be okay. C'mon. Breathe with me. Say it with me. "Everything is okay'."

I sniffled and hiccupped, unable to repeat the mantra Gary had offered. He kept his hand on me, encouraging me again. The weight of his palm laid over my heart, his way of trying to physically show me I was okay. I wasn't dying and combusting in to oblivion how my aching chest made me feel I was.

No matter how sweetly he spoke to me I just couldn't shake the vulnerable feeling that ate at me. It was as if the grief Gary coaxed out of me had left a gaping hole inside my body that was too raw to leave out in the open. Having no clue how to cope with it, I clutched the slim brunette in my bed and cried until the exposed feeling dwindled away to a numb ache.

His hand still remained, guarding the hole I felt was over my heart. Through with my untamed sobs, I coughed lightly to clear my airways of lingering debris. I pushed my face in to Gary's collarbone, ignoring the fatigue that pulsed through my head like a heartbeat. I could feel my actual hear beating, that was what mattered.

"How do you feel?"

Gary asked me the loaded question, his arms holding me securely to him as if trying to keep me from escaping back to the negative abyss that was my cognitive mind. Maybe he truly was.

"I feel better. Kind of empty but better I guess." I confessed solemnly. "I still feel like complete filth for having sex with, Misty."

"Why's that?"

I debated answering honestly.

"She has my virginity." I deadpanned. _"_ Now you can't have it. I wanted you to have it...now its hers. A piece of me will always be hers."

Gary 'hm'ed thoughtfully and placed a suckling kiss on the skin under my ear. His lips brushed the fleshy bit of my earlobe and moved upwards towards the corner of my eye. A tender hand palmed at the dip of my waist and slid across my abdomen comfortingly .

"Not necessarily. For what it's worth, I mean."

Gary brought his lips to mine and kissed me gently, the fingers on my pelvis inching to the band of my boxers. He traced it leisurely, coaxing me in to a deeper kiss. My tears ceased as Gary pressed himself in to my side, my head thrown to the side towards him to allow comfortable access to my lips. The weight of my skull sunk in to the pillow as he moved closer to me, the perimeter of my thoughts blurring as I gave in.

His lips, they always felt right, memories of stolen kisses filled my calming mind. I was no stranger to being in bed with Gary, we simply never engaged in intercourse. Many times I laid with Gary in the comfort of his room. With heavy black shades drawn closed so that darkness hid us as he kissed me, he'd massage the skin beneath my shirt with an unhurried hand before occasionally trying to dip lower on various occasion.

He'd ravage my mouth until my lips were tender and puffy, his hands tracing precise paths from my navel up the steep curve of my ribcage and eventually exploring back down and lower. These intimate moments we shared had a tendency to get very heated, and quite quickly, but stopped when my conscience urged me to end it. Misty always came to mind, so I always stopped Gary before I did something I REALLY wouldn't want her to find out about. How naïve of me to think our activities were not incriminating as is... or rather my denial was very strong.

Even as I lay there giving in to Gary's mouth for what felt like, and probably was, the thousandth time, I still could not figure out how Misty never smelled him on me. His cologne, his shampoo….his smell, they all clung to me but she never seemed to notice.

How badly I wanted him, but never allowed myself to partake in the full experience that was his body. Time and time again we found ourselves struggling to part before proceeding further as our hormones got the better of us, nearly a year of incomplete satisfaction resulted from it. And to top it off, after all that had happened, my first intimate release had been with her and not him.

"Ash."

"Hm?"

Gary brought his hand up from my underwear and placed it along the side of my face, cradling it as he kissed me again. This was a terrible time to be doing this, not that I realized at the time. I was vulnerable and definitely not thinking as clearly as I could have, but the hot wet texture of Gary's tongue convinced me otherwise. I could feel the blood coursing towards my awakening erection and whether it was right or not, I was aroused. His thumb rubbed across the hollow of my cheeks soothingly and I whimpered in the back of my throat as he groaned, pulling away from my mouth to hover just over my lips.

"I've wanted this for so long." he confessed, hand tightening on my face. "Do you want me?"

"Of course I do..." I told him, meekly. "I..."

It was like I was scared of my own voice, what it would confess. My dirty secret from the world.

"...I always want you."

"Then I'm not going to share you anymore, I'm done being your dirty little secret. I won't do it anymore."

The words he spoke would have seemed aggressive had it not been for the affectionate way he murmured them, followed by his lips sucking on mine. He then pulled away before moving lower. I had no idea what his intentions were until his head bent down.

"You're mine now...only mine. I hope you understand that."

"G-Gary?"

I whispered softly as the flat of Gary's tongue dragged over my nipple, hot and heavy. He'd never touched me there before. Not like that. He suckled on my nipple, which I discovered was apparently very sensitive, before moving from his place besides me.

"Just relax for me."

Gary hovered above me, mouth again attached to the pert pink nub on my chest. He held it between his lips, teasing it wetly. I found myself feeling embarrassed from the sudden escalation in events, I tried shying away from the attention he was giving me. My shying away did not deter him. Gary held me in place with a comforting hand.

"Shh... I want to love, now."

I wiggled beneath him as he tortured me with the tip of his tongue, flicking it over the surface of my velvety skin. The head of my erection stuck to the cotton of my boxers. Said boxers which had formed a wet stain, the stickiness secreting gradually and connecting my flesh to my underwear with a rope of pre-seminal fluid.

From where Gary was positioned above me, his knees on either side of my knees, I couldn't feel if he was hard. His pelvis was wedged between the space inside my legs. So, if he was sporting a stiff one, I didn't know. Too focused on the tingles dancing along my beaded chest, I didn't pay it a second thought. Though my own situation definitely stuck itself to the forefront of my attention.

"S-Slow it down just a little...please..."

I squirmed in distress, trying not to buck my hips up in to his abdomen. My insistent movement caused the tip of my clothed erection to bump Gary anyways. He could feel the damp spot but said nothing, instead he reached for it and played with my tip from over the fabric. His thumb prodded and rubbed at me carefully as he was well aware I was not experienced. The sex I had earlier was not pleasurable, this on the other hand was marvelous. His mere teasing felt better than the intercourse I had participated in earlier.

"Fuck...Gary...a-ah."

Every inch of me was stimulated from his leisurous touches, the teasing pace slowly awakening the awareness over my body. The sensations he gave me flooded everywhere, spreading a warm pleasurable hum throughout the surface of my skin. I disregarded the embarrassment and enjoyed the feeling until his thumb pressed in to my slit with added pressure. I gasped and twitched in surprise, trying to reel back despite lying flat on a mattress.

"I said take it slow." I reminded him softly. "Please-"

He released my nipple with pop but continued rubbing me down below, he kissed at the skin right above my nipple and licked the abused skin affectionately.

"I've waited so long for you."

Breathing deeply, I said nothing and allowed him to continue. After removing his hand from me, the waistband of my underwear was pulled down to the tops of my thighs and cool air hit my member without warning.

"Nngh!"

I grunted from the exposure and Gary shushed me.

"Easy, I've got you."

He tried bringing his hand back to me but the second his skin touched me I flinched in surprise. The direct contact was not something I was used to ,so the feeling of his fingers trying to wrap around my shaft was too much. Instead, Gary returned to rubbing my head with a gentle thumb, smearing my natural lubrication along every curve of my cock.

Slowly he began grazing my shaft with the tips of his fingers until I was used to it, and rested his weight on his left arm which was placed by my shoulder. Gary's face nestled near mine as he began pumping carefully, taking in my choked gasps and mewls. So attentive he was.

"You're pretty sensitive." he commented, whispering by my ear. "Don't you ever do this to yourself?"

"Yeah but..." I started, struggling with words from what was happening to me. "...it doesn't feel like this when I do it."

The gentle laid-back atmosphere changed as the fingers wrapped around me noticeably tightened. Gary's voice dropped an octave as he began stroking me with slower but more aggressive movements. Like he'd found an opening, he ever so confidently raised a question with my dick occupying his active hand.

"What do you think about?" he asked huskily, taking a moment to clary. "When you touch yourself. What makes your cock hard?"

The comfort and calm I felt was slowly creeping away and being replaced with a familiar bashfulness that I felt earlier. The dirty language... it was so subtly heated. Not wanting to answer him, I whined quietly. Gary was persistent.

He stroked me firmly, no longer caring if I was overwhelmed. Jolts of pleasure shot through where was touching me, my body convulsing on its own will as I was over stimulated. If I were in a more cognitive state of mind I would sworn he was getting off on the power.

"You can tell me. Go ahead." he coaxed, being sure to speak directly outside my ear. " I want to know. Please, Ash. I want to know. It's been killing me forever."

"You do...I um...I think about you all the time."

I confessed to him, panting while he urged me closer to climax.

"All the time?"

"M-Mhm."

No other words were spoken to me as he carried on stroking me, determined for me to finish. No matter how I pleaded for him to slow down, he kept his steady pace and in silence. The sound of my gently squelching flesh could be heard in the silence around us as he pumped. My chest heaved with labored breaths as my climax approached quickly. Them Gary spoke, whispering to me urgently.

"You almost there?"

I nodded hurriedly.

He sat up and touched me until I moaned in a pitch higher than I believed was masculinely achievable. My seed released without warning and Gary squeezed me from the base up to the head of my cock as I came. He squeezed as he stroked upwards to my tip, as if trying to milk me off everything. I moaned brokenly as he did so, him catching my release in the palm of his hand. He stayed there, watching me until I came back down from my orgasm. He asked me something but it reached my ears in broken pieces. Once I was actually coherent enough, I could make out what he said.

"I'm going to assume you don't own any lube?"

"You're right...I don't."

"Didn't think so. It's alright. We'll make it work."

Gary took the ounce of fluid I'd released and rubbed it over himself. He did this before moving his knees in between my legs rather than outside of them like they previously were. I was urged to spread my legs further apart and he pulled off my underwear before he reached down to poke at my entrance. Just the tip of his finger prodded me blindly.

Nervousness consumed me as he rubbed the puckered hole, assuring me it was alright. I felt so awkward at that particular touch...and so thankful that I had showered. I was quivering lightly as Gary slipped the finger inside slowly, stilling it as my muscles reflexively tried forcing the creeping intrusion out.

"Don't push me out." He coaxed, keeping pressing between my legs. "Let me in."

Taking a deep breath and releasing it, I bore with it as a finger made its way inside me. It wasn't horribly uncomfortable. Still, it was foreign. Soon, I adjusted well enough for it and he added another finger. Following the addition Gary worked on loosening me.

"Nice and easy... stay just like that."

Orgasmic fog from my afterglow clouded my thoughts, taking the edge off. Between the exhaustion from crying and the post orgasmic glow I was gradually growing near lethargic. I now hardly reacted as he moved his fingers inside me. A fear of mine was anal sex being painful, but I literally couldn't yet bring myself to worry.

His fingers didn't hurt at all, which offered me some reassurance. But when it was time for him to actually penetrate me, I nearly lost my nerve. As he got off the bed and a soft, near inaudible thump of his underwear hitting the floor reached my ears, I began to feel that absent worry surfacing in me.

All pleasurable feelings gone, I shook under Gary as he climbed over my body. He took me by each calf, raising my legs slowly. Sliding his hands in to position he pushed my legs back towards my chest by the bends of my knees.

The mushroom head of his refection poked my entrance, staying there as it met resistance. There was a moment of mutual anticipation before Gary's cock began pushing against me. It slipping in with resistance, achingly slow. Entrance stretching with increasing discomfort I voiced my fear to him.

"Gary, stop..." I urged him, ashamed of my sudden panic. "This is going to hurt."

Gary massaged my hip soothingly, assuring me it would be fine. He wouldn't hurt me, not intentionally. After having me promise him I'd speak up if anything felt wrong, he pushed forward. Eyes squeezed tightly shut, I put up no conscious resistance as he penetrated me.

Inch by inch he slipped in, sinking in to me until half of him was sheathed inside my taunt entrance. A dull pain set in as his girth stretched me beyond what was comfortable but I said nothing being that it was bearable. It wasn't until he attempted going deeper that I spoke up, barely another inside and I yelped sharply in pain.

"That hurts..."

Cringing, I grasped at the sheets beneath me, curling them in my palms. Gary reacted almost instantly, halting all movement. His damp sticky palm rested on my knee, squeezing it softly. I opened my eyes, blinking wearily as he still hadn't resumed. Looking back up I was caught off guard to see him just staring at my face which was barely visible by moonlight.

I laid there spread eagle for him, everything exposed. Through my heavily lidded eyes I could faintly see the swipe off his tongue as he licked his lips, presumably to wet them. The movement stood out to me in the otherwise poor lighting. Something in my mind registered as off but quickly dispersed as soon as I became fully aware of how on display I was. Suddenly I felt as if Gary's eyes were absorbing every detail of me and the mortification hit me ten fold.

"D-Don't stare at me." I whined helplessly, trying to reach down and cover my erection. "I don't-"

Gary was quicker than me though and stopped what I was doing. He grabbed my wrist and placed it by my side before swatting my other hand away. He grasped my thighs from underneath and pushed them up further from my chest to rest in the air slightly. His penis penetrated me another inch and again I yelped louder.

.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to see you like this." Gary expressed huskily, gripping my elevated thighs for leverage. "Let me in. You need to let me in."

Steadily he got me to relax enough to allow him full entrance. His thrusts hurt just the slightest, and I grit my teeth to cope. I knew the first time wouldn't be the best, and it wasn't so bad. Once the sharp pain left every thrust the tight sensation wasn't so suffocating intense. An adjustment in angle and suddenly I was seeing spots behind my eyes, something he was hitting felt amazing and was nestled deep inside me.

The discomfort was vaguely present as he thrusted in to me steadily, keeping his movements tight and precise. Repeatedly he hit the spot and I was actually started to feel an orgasm bubbling. Sure enough I came once more and with his fingers digging in to me, Gary followed suit.

Holding himself upright, Gary waited out the pulsing aftershock of his orgasm. His muscles went lax and he breathed in, exhaling through his nose with satisfactory fatigue. His slim fingers pressed my backside, holding my cheeks slightly apart to ease his erection out with minimal discomfort to me. My entrance puckered, closing as he left me empty except for the remnants of his essence inside me. When he rolled to the side and resumed his earlier position lying next to me, I stared out the evening window in disbelief.

I couldn't wrap my head around what had happened. I'd known at some point we would carry through with intimacy being that the opportunity was always wedged between us, never leaving or lessening in tension. Gary and I played with fire far too often, putting ourselves in situations where sexual tension would escalate rapidly without warning. No matter how heavy my heart sank over my constant deception to Misty, Gary was all I wanted when apart or together.

Time after time I'd been in his house, in his room... in his bed. We always knew the temptation that came with it but I indulged his presence every time until he ventured for what I felt too guilty to give him. The last time we laid together my self control nearly failed me. We'd nearly reached the point of no return. Listening to Gary's labored breathing, I wondered if waiting truly made any difference.

xxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, thanks for reading! This story hasn't been updated in a bit, I figured it was time to get on it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated but I appreciate your time more than anything :)Hope you enjoy.

xxxxx

I didn't cry again that night. I just didn't have it in me. My chest was a mixture of emotions, all of which settled in to what felt like repressed anxiety. Gary laid down with me after our first time together, and I hadn't expected him to just get up and leave but him being there still surprised me. Because after the many times we'd laid down together and gotten handsy, it always ended with us parting.

We were quiet, both lost in thought. It was far too quiet, no background noise cept for my fridge barely humming in the kitchen. The silence would have been fine, had my brain not been buzzing with lingering worry as Gary began nestling us closer together.

"What do I do now?" I asked him, my bare body being pulled in closer to his. I shifted, rolling in towards him to be held.

"You tell her the truth." he answered me simply, curling his bicep around me to secure my body to him. "And you do it as soon as possible."

"...Right."

He kissed my head as I laid it down on his chest. My voice was small, my confidence lacking as well as fatigue creeping back in. Both my mind and body were exhausted, my limbs and eyelids nearly as heavy as my weighing conscience. Gary kissed me on the head again, and I shut my eyes. His heartbeat was steady as I lay on his chest and I was lulled to sleep.

xxxxxx

The next morning he was still there and I almost didn't believe. For a moment I'd forgotten what took place between us. But once I laid eyes on Gary's peaceful sleeping face, my eyes trailing down his bare exposed chest, it came flooding back to me. Oddly enough to myself, I didn't regret letting him make love to me. I knew I had a heavy task on my upcoming agenda, though. Depressingly enough.

"...great."

My underwear was on the floor and I picked it up, wincing as I bent. I could feel the evidence of Gary and I's love making still in me, as well as the fairly sore muscles of my entrance ache as I moved. Slipping on my underwear I squeezed past Pikachu and my bike in the narrow hallway, entering the bathroom quietly as everything in my apartment was still dead to the world with the early morning hour.

Shower on, I stepped in carefully, moving my legs very slowly over the edge of the tub one at a time with caution. Hot water felt amazing, the steam billowing up to my face almost enough to make me sleepy. Soaping up my hands I washed myself before cautiously reaching behind myself to finish up my cleanse. I winced a little initially, both in discomfort and brief embarrassment.

I wasn't disgusted with Gary's release in me, but I regretted not getting up more quickly the night prior to clean up. It was dried and stuck around my entrance, traces of still wet semen leaking out when I moved. With my tanned face bright red, I washed away the remnants of him from my body. Bar of soap in one hand, I lathered again to clean more thoroughly.

"It never ends..." I mumbled under my breath. "C'mon."

With soapy fingers I crept closer to my entrance, bracing myself to go in. I couldn't bring myself to do it and I bit my lip, knowing it had to be done. I traced the outside, trying to will myself to do it. As I worked up the nerve, Gary's voice scared me.

"Room for one more in there?"

From behind the curtain I flinched, dropping the soap I held. Caught up in my invasive clean up I didn't hear him open the bathroom door. Doing my best to calm myself and not stutter, I spoke up over the running water.

"I'll be out in a minute..." I told him, really not liking the idea of him coming in while I was stuck in the midst of my clean up. "Don't come in."

"You shy now?"

Gary's tone of voice was teasing but he knew me better than that. Sparing me embarrassment first thing in the morning, he didn't outright make fun of me. Instead, he reached his fingers over the shower curtain rod, wiggling them in greeting. Reaching up I grabbed them, holding them with my wet fingers.

"You're okay in there, right?" He asked me as gently as he could manage, squeezing my hand back.

"Yeah, I'm okay..."

"Would it be so horrible if I got in there with you?"

After a moment of silence I relented to him.

"I guess not..."

Gary pulled the curtain back a bit and stepped in behind me, closing us off together in the shower. He hugged me from behind and I held the arms wrapped around me. A kiss was pressed to my shoulder and I smiled some to myself, the comfort was nice.

"So how are you feeling? Anything hurt?"

"I'm sore but I think I'll live...I was just cleaning up."

"Does it hurt to touch?"

It was embarrassing to admit but being Gary was already in the shower with me, I fessed up.I had to clean up and he would be there while it happened.

"It's a little sore to touch but I have to clean...I'm having trouble bringing myself to do it" I told him quietly. "Scared, actually."

"Are you scared it'll hurt?"

"Kinda."

Without another word, Gary picked up the soap that fell by my feet then gently maneuvered me to bend a little at the waist with my hands on the shower wall. Lathered his hands up, he brought them to my backside and washed my skin, gently creeping his fingers between my spread cheeks.

I sucked in a breath as his fingertips poked at my entrance and he eased them in without trouble. I was embarrassed out of my mind as Gary helped me clean his remnants from my body, but it couldn't be helped. When he was done he rinsed his hands of the soap and turned me to do the same with my rear.

Holding me to his chest with one arm, he used his other hand to cup water and rinse me. I couldnt look at him as he did it, but he didn't seem to mind. Kissing my head he continued and I barely managed to whisper a thank you to him.

Xxxxx

It was decided I'd pay Gary a visit that evening after he returned home after a day out in the field with his grandfather. He hadn't mentioned Misty, but that topic still hung up in the air with the promise I'd made. I spent all day pondering over how I'd handle the situation and I wasted away the daylight stressing for the millionth time in my life. Then early evening began setting it and I rode my bike back to the familiar part of pallet I once lived in.

Where I lived wasn't far from it, but a decent ride it was. Once at Gary's I let myself in with my spare key, finding my way to his room on the lower level of the apartment. Spare key at my disposal I still always felt as if I were intruding. My guilty conscience had a way of messing things up.

I was grateful for Gary now having his own place mainly because I didn't think I'd be able to face his grandfather. Samuel Oak welcomed me around like a grandson all the time, more than fine with Gary allowing me a spare key when he'd lived with him. He'd always seen the potential for a for a friendship and wished for years our rivalry would settle. Little did he know exactly how well we settled.

No matter the warm and friendly greetings from Oak all the time, letting myself in to his home had felt like overstepping a boundary. What Oak thought was a strong platonic friendship, was actually far more complex. Whenever entering Gary's old home with Oak I hurried to his room to avoid the nagging discomfort that came with me lingering in someone else's empty home. It was easier entering Gary's apartment.

I was surprised to see Gary missing from his bedroom and briefly wondered if I'd gotten there before him. Looking out in to the hallway to investigate I spotted his bike along a wall. The sound of a shower running nearby also confirmed that he was in fact nearby. I settled in to his room to wait for him.

Gary's Umbreon was apparently taking a break from her pokeball because she lay resting on his bed sheets, her limbs stretched out comfortably. She lifted her head curiously as I sat down by her to remove my sneakers.

Patting the fox pokemon's head affectionately, I was delighted when she got up and crawled in to my arms. Of course the usually curt Pokémon had spent much time around me and was used to my company, thus warming up to me and seeking my attention. This was preferred over her giving the cold shoulder like she would anyone else, excluding her trainer, of course.

"Hey there...how are you?"

Umbreon yipped happily as I pat her, holding her to my chest. Whilst telling her what a good pokemon she was I didn't hear the shower stop or the footsteps approaching the bedroom. Totally immersed in the happy Pokémon, I failed to notice that Gary had quietly returned and continued to cuddle Umbreon. Gary entered his room and took in the scene before him with slightly widened eyes, resisting the urge to snicker. If only he had a camera nearby I'm sure he would have collected blackmail to haunt me for years.

Umbreon's face was pressed in to my cheek as I hugged her like a loving pet and of course I was delighted. Gary shook his head in amusement as he took it all in. A bemused chuckle pulled me from the trance and I flinched before looking up knowing the host had arrived.

Gary stood at the door with a short towel draped low on his hips, traces of water still visible on his neck and shoulders where wet dripping brown hair lay flat against his skull. He gave me a knowing look, his all too familiar shit eating grin taking it's rightful place on his face.

"Well what do we have here, hm?" He teased me. "Infantilizing my prized Umbreon?"

I briefly panicked, worrying that Gary didn't want his Pokémon infantilized, let alone the fact I had been walked in on looking like a total pansy. I would never live it down if Gary was in one of his moods. Shutting the door behind him, Gary raised an eyebrow at me as if waiting for an explanation.

Of course Gary knew what was going on, but watching me squirm was still a favorite pastime no matter how civil or close we'd grown to be with one another. Caught off guard, I couldn't summon words and stared back at him guiltily. I'd been caught, end of story.

Looking weak or sensitive in front of Gary still rubbed me the wrong way in some instances. If I could avoid looking silly or girly I would do so by all means. I messed up by keeping my guard down and coddling Gary's beloved Umbreon. Gary could be amused all he wanted to be, but it wouldn't excuse anything if he truly didn't want his Umbreon handled like frou frou house pet. How would I explain this away? I couldn't.

Worried that Gary would be mad, I waited for further reaction. I was somewhat relieved when Gary carried on with a light patronizing tone, a promising sign I wasn't in trouble. Tilting his head a bit, Gary looked at Umbreon somewhat playfully as if speaking to a small child.

"Someone's smitten with you, huh Umbreon?"

Umbreon made a small happy sound then continued to seek attention from me. Her paws raked at my shirt and the tips of her ears wiggled energetically. Being frozen with embarrassment, I didn't respond right away but Umbreon insisted I pay attention to her. After prodding me in the chest, I finally came back to and started rubbing her back. I tried to inconspicuously calm her down but Umbreon pawed at me relentlessly.

"Ahem." I coughed embarrassed, "S-Sorry, she's just so friendly to me...and she likes the attention-"

Gary smiled some before walking towards me. He placed his hand on Umbreon's head, patting her affectionately, cutting off my rambling. The pokemon responded by pressing up in to her trainer's palm and closing her large ruby eyes. Her nose twitched and she wiggled with contentment for all the attention she was receiving.

"She's usually kind of brusque with people...like you are." I remarked, "I've heard Pokémon act like their trainers after a while. I guess it's true. She's really friendly with me though."

"She's only friendly to me and Gramps. She's infatuated with you." he corrected me, "I wonder where she gets it from."

Gary finished his remark with a wink and bent down to peck me on the mouth. I looked away shyly, holding Umbreon to myself defensively. Gary tried maneuvering around her to get to me but I kept shying away with the help of the furry squirming shield. Soon Umbreon had enough and became visibly stressed from being sandwiched between us.

"Come here!" Gary insisted, "...and let her go, you're making her uncomfortable."

"It's you! Get dressed..." I retorted, "You're naked!"

"It's just a towel, kiss me."

I dodged another of Gary's attempts and Umbreon wriggled in my arms trying to get comfortable but couldn't with all the movement. A big droplet of water dripped from Gary's wet hair and landed on Umbreon's head, making her shake it unhappily. Her black fur ruffled.

"Stop it!"

I rubbed the wet spot forUmbreon and tugged her in super close. I looked to Gary to scold him but whipped my head away suddenly as smooth pectorals were approaching my face. Gary kept on his charade. Without shame Gary closed in on me.

"Your pokemon is right here." I argued, trying my best to keep my eyes from dipping below Gary's face." And a towel counts as naked...it's close enough. Get dressed!"

Gary backed up without further argument and walked to his computer desk nearby. Leaning on it, he looked over at his desk with a quick glance before spotting what he needed. He gave me a warning look but I refused to give in to it and countered back with an exasperated one.

"You gonna play nice?"

"But Umbreon-" I reasoned before being cut off.

"Excuses, Ashy boy.

My eyes were drawn to an object that Gary reached for by his laptop. Picking up a poke ball he held it out calmly, holding eye contact with me. A somewhat predatory look came over Gary as he watched me clutch the pokemon to him as a ruse to avoid his advances. Deciding to regain his leverage, he clicked the poke ball open.

"Umbreon, return."

The Pokemon was consumed by a red light and was drawn back to her pokeball. Satisfied, Gary spun the poke ball on his index finger before it shrunk back down to it's traveling size. The disappointed expression on my face disappeared when Gary stood up straight and approached me, the disappointment turning to shock when the brunette was back in my face.

Gary pulled me in for a kiss, despite my protests, and my head swooned from it. As I kissed him back I felt guilty, knowing I still wasn't a free man. Just once it would have been nice to not feel so incredibly infatuated with my friend.

Gary's skin was still slightly damp from the shower, his soapy aroma clinging to him seductively. The smell I was all too familiar with and grew to love. I briefly wondered what products he used to smell like that, but was pulled from the thought. Drops of water dripped from Gary's hair on to my neck as it had done to poor Umbreon's head. I pulled away from Gary with a gasp, now having an excuse to not further engage.

"You're still wet, you know. Dry off or you're going to wet my clothes."

"Or you could just take off your clothes, that's an option."

A pout from me was enough to pursway Gary. With a heavy sigh he backed off knowing what my issue was. He reached for the towel around his waist but that just sent me in to a tizzy. Covering my eyes immediately, I protested.

"That's not what I meant! Just let me out and I'll come back when you're dressed"

The sound of a dresser being opened provided me with some level of relief. Gary scoffing didn't.

"Just stay put, I'm grabbing some clothes right now. Sheesh." Gary told me, drying off as I concealed his eyes. "You act like a virgin."

"Too soon!"

Gary slipped on a loose white T-shirt and some cotton boxers before closing his dresser. While toweling off his hair he rolled his eyes in actual annoyance towards me who still wouldn't look at him.

Reluctantly I removed his hands from my face, as if I thought Gary was lying about getting dressed. But no, Gary did in fact put some clothes on and was finishing drying off his hair. Once done, he tossed his towel in the hamper and looked at me. The sheepish look on my face was too much and tugged at his heart strings, he couldn't stay annoyed.

I had reason to be the way that I was. Gary claimed his kiss despite my shy and guilty pleas, and shortly after we ended up lounging in his bed to catch up on some pokemon documentary he had DVR'd for research. I watched half heartedly interested, preferring to watch battles instead.

A soft spoken man narrated the documentary, explaining the habitat that wild Oshuwatt lived in. After about twenty minutes passed with me tuning out the narrator, eventually becoming sleepy from his monotone voice. Eyelids growing heavy, I nodded off momentarily only to force myself awake for the sake of not being rude.

Again and again I fought off sleep as my eyes shut without his consent, unfortunately my resolve did not last and I nodded off again unable to fight the drowsiness. Dreams of Misty came to me, her scantily clad body crawling over me as I lay in bed. My penis failed to erect as she reached for it under the covers and I sweat profusely, feeling ill. Misty pulled her hand away as if she had burned herself on me and looked at me with disgust.

"I knew it!" she shrieked, reeling her hand back in a fist. " Liar!"

Her fist was approaching my face when I woke up again, the T.V was off and the bedroom was dark with only Gary's laptop battery light blinking steadily from his desk across the room. Still mentally immersed in my dream, I yelled.

I outright screamed.

Completely unaware of what was actually happening in reality, I tried sitting up with hurried movements and held my arms out defensively. A long arm grabbed me across the waist and tugged me back to the mattress instantly. The familiar heat of Gary's breath ghosted over my neck as I was pulled back in to a laying position and I breathed heavily, adrenaline tightening my lungs. My skin still flush and prickling with perspiration, sweat clogging my pores and leaving a layer on my face. Shaking, I tried coming down.

"What the fuck, are you okay? What was that about?"

I registered the voice as Gary and calmed down just the slightest bit, allowing myself to be held. Shaking, I relived what I dreamt. Misty's angry face still vivid in my mind. The sweat on my forehead ran colder than the chill that wracked my body.

"Y-Yeah I'm okay. Just had a dream..." I explained, shifting to curl in to Gary more as the memory of my dream sat with me uncomfortably. "...Just a dream. I'm fine now."

"Sounds like you had a fucking nightmare." Gary

stated, holding me to him protectively and feeling the moisture gathered on my forehead " You're sweating, you sure you're okay?"

I pressed my face in to the soft cotton of Gary's cotton T-shirt, breathing in his smell. The sweet masculine aroma filled my nostrils and grounded me back to reality. Nodding, I confirmed I was fine but the tremors I had said otherwise. Being the matter of fact guy that Gary is, he pointed it out.

"You're shaking." he stated. " Take it easy, you're safe from whatever it was. "

The irony of Gary's words were not lost on me. Being with Gary was what made me the least bit safe from my fears. Heart racing unsettingly brisk, I vowed to myself I had a promise to keep and I would do so as quickly as possible. Tomorrow was a new day.

xxxxx


End file.
